Where I Belong
by ylib
Summary: Tyki goes to the middle of nowhere to destroy a possible Innocence user. He goofs off the first night, playing cards and drinking. The next morning, the most hated man in the lumberjack camp is dead, and Tyki can't remember if he killed him or not.
1. Murder in Nowhere, USA

Almost, forgot this bit. Been missing from the site for a while. I'm slow to update, but the second chapters almost done. This takes place after episode 103 of the anime series.

I don't own D. Gray-man.

Murder in Nowhere, USA

Tyki Mikk finished the last sip of red wine and slumped back into the velvet cushioned chair. After a few half-drunk attempts, he picked off the gold cuff links and black neck tie. He dropped them carelessly onto the imported rug, and stared up at the elegant baroque mural on the ceiling and smirked. White-robed angels were flying with trumpets in the painting above him. While the painting looked innocent enough at first, there were storm clouds behind the graceful angels instead of a blue sky. Green lightning like Innocence raged in the dark clouds. The entire mural was full of such little jokes, if you knew where to look. It was his favorite part of the elegant, and now empty, dance hall.

"Another ball done, and I'm glad it's over." He said to himself in a slightly slurred voice, and sank even deeper into the cushions.

"Oh? I thought you liked the balls, Tickie. Isn't it fun anymore?"A pair of large violet eyes stared down at him from behind the chair. Her short wild blue hair was tied down with pink ribbons, and she smiled at him like a cat that just ate a canary.

"Road? I didn't know you were there." He straightened up to looked at the little society miss in her frilly pink and purple dress. "I didn't get a dance with you tonight, sister."

"I was busy." The playful and dark tone in her voice implied that it was Noah work.

"Oh? I thought we were at a standstill until the egg was rebuilt."

"At a logging company we finance in Oregon, there is rumor that they can break apart large trees with their hands. Their production in the past few months has tripled. They say that the machines have improved, but still, no other company has seen this much of an increase."

Tyki slumped back into the chair with disgust. "Is that all?"

Road leaned over the chair to wrap her slim arms around Tyki's shoulders. "But don't you think it's odd? It could be Innocence. Lenalee Lee could be the heart of the innocence, but we don't know that for sure. And there's no reason for us to let the Black Order find another exorcist."

Tyki leaned his head on his hand, and loosened Road's arms from his shoulders. At the moment, he had no interest in leaving the chair, much less the country. "I'm tired, Road. Just send some Akuma to check it out."

"We still have some left, but Akuma numbers are low right now. Without the egg, we can't make any more. Besides, aren't you bored here? It's not like you to just lie around like this. You slept in this chair last night, didn't you?" She said with the accusatory note of a big sister.

Tyki shrugged. "It's a comfortable chair. Is there some reason I can't sleep here?"

Road's large eyes narrowed. "You haven't gone to see your hole-digging friends either. Not since you lost to General Cross."

Tyki shrugged that off too, but Road could feel that his shoulders had tensed beneath the black suit. "It was just a game, living as a vagabond and making human friends. I might be over it."

Road leaned forward to see her brother's sad eyes gazing at the ceiling. "Might?" She wrapped her arms tighter and leaned her head on his shoulder. "I'm busy with the egg, and you need a break. Please, as a favor to me?" She said sweetly.

Tyki continued to stare quietly for a minute more. "Alright, Road. It just occurred to me. I have the entire mural on the ceiling memorized." He smirked, and the smile extended to almost his ears. "How horribly dull it is here."

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The American Northwest was damp and cool. The forest floor was soft and tangled in the roots of massive trees that formed a thick green canopy high overhead. Late afternoon sunlight glowed green through the leaves, and the air was humid and clean. Bird songs Tyki had never heard drifted through the forest.

Tyki smiled to himself. It was already more interesting than yet another ball. He was beginning to have trouble with names at the society dances. The pretty girls and their rich parents who all dressed and acted alike were starting to become indistinguishable.

Tyki stepped out of the stagecoach onto the muddy road with his shiny black shoes. He dressed in a black suit with a top hat, and his dark wavy hair was neatly pulled back into a ponytail. He had considered gathering information as a hired hand, but this angle could be interesting too. He already had a family connection to the company, so he came to inspect the company's investment. At least, that was the cover story.

A mosquito drifted by that was bigger than a horsefly, and Tyki couldn't help but stare.

"Yeah, They're big uns, eh? The bugs 'round 'ere, they'll pick yah up and take yah awah" The tall and burly coach driver trudged around the stagecoach with Tyki's suitcase in his thick fist. He threw it noisily onto the long wooden porch of the lumberjack's lodge.

Tyki frowned in annoyance, and reached for the black case.

"LEAVE IT!" The coach driver barked, and Tyki froze in place with his hand outstretched. "Ah take it. Alv a Minute! PAT! GET TA DA HORSES!" He waved to a lanky, orange-haired boy down the muddy road.

The Noah gentleman straightened his back and glared. _"What an irritating, ill-mannered geezer." _He starting to imagine him with his heart ripped out, and quickly dismissed the thought. _"I'm not here for him, and I won't find high-bred manners at a lumberjack camp. Laborers won't bother with manners like that. I know that. I remember that." _Tyki unclenched his white-gloved fists and spoke politely through his teeth. "Is Mr. Lancaster here? I'd like to see him immediately."

"Ah? Yeah." The stout, old man handed the horse's harness to the freckled, lanky teen. He lumbered onto the rough wooden porch of cut logs and scooped up the black suitcase. "Falla me, Sir." The word 'sir' stuck on his tongue like a curse.

The lodge was one long, low building made of cut logs that set among the tall trees like a crate dropped in the forest. There was one large central room where all the men ate and slept with a huge fireplace in the center. A couple small rooms were sectioned off to either side, but privacy was zero. The kitchen was partially walled-off against the back wall and had its own small chimney for the iron stove. Plumbing was non-existent, and the men far outnumbered the rough-made chairs. Still, compared to the tents and rough lodges of most lumberjack camps, this was a palace. Tyki remembered a number of times when he had slept in the mines because there was no shelter for the diggers at all. _"Not bad." _He smiled as he took in his night's lodgings. _"Much more than I expected."_

"Tyki Mikk?_" _A brown-haired man in red flannel and blue denim held out his massive hand for a handshake. He was both as tall and as broad as a door. Tyki politely shook his hand. He was terribly strong, but he made no attempt to crush the gentleman's hand. "I'm Curt Lancaster, the foreman. We've been expecting you, and I've gotten together the financial papers." He glanced at the black suitcase in the gruff coachman's hand. "You came late in the day. Were you planning on spending the night here? We don't really have a private bedroom for you. Even I sleep in the main room."

"The girls got their own room. You could kick them out for a couple nights." One of the lumberjacks jeered over his steaming stew.

"You have girls here?" Tyki said in surprise.

"Well, a pair of sisters. The older one works with and repairs our logging machines. Their out repairing right now. Their parents are dead, so the little sister stays here as well. She's very good at her job, really, dead serious about it." The foreman folded his arms defensively. Lumberjack camps normally didn't have girls in them. "Didn't feel right to me, them sleeping in the main room with the men. I cleaned out an old storage room and gave it them. Actually, I do have an office. If I cleaned that up a bit, you could sleep in there."

"Yes. That would be perfect. I wouldn't want to force the ladies into sleeping in the same room as the men." Tyki said like a gracious gentleman, and several of the loggers around him snorted and stifled a laugh."While I'm here, I'd like to observe your logging operations in addition to collecting the financial documents for our main office."

Mr. Lancaster nodded and unfolded his arms. "Alright. First thing tomorrow, we'll take you out with us." The huge foreman led Tyki to one of the side rooms and opened the heavy door. A dead gray fox was hanging on the inside of the door. "Whoops, forgot about him. We keep chickens around back, and he was helping himself." The room inside was piled with papers, boxes, heaps of heavy cloths, bottles of lamp oil and a couple unfinished wood carvings leaning against a battered table. The air that wafted through the door was stagnant and dusty, and there was no window. From the smell, the fox probably wasn't the only dead animal in the cluttered, small room.

"_Another storage room." _ Tyki thought dryly. "You don't have to go to so much trouble, Mr. Lancaster. I can sleep in the main room if it's a bother."

"Oh, no. I can clear this out in no time." The foreman picked up the nearest stack of papers.

"He says he doesn't want to sleep in your stale, dirty office with a dead animal hanging on the door." Tyki turned, and a sandy blonde woman in her early twenties stood behind him. A golden-haired girl was attached to her arm like the child was in mortal terror of the entire world. "He's a city gentleman, so he's not saying it straight. But he doesn't want to set foot in your office."

"Erk. That's not what I said." Tyki corrected, but by the expression on his face, she had obviously hit a bullseye.

The woman was average build under several layers of wool shirts and pants. Her tangled hair was cut short and her hazel eyes were clear. She sized up the dark, wealthy gentleman, and her sullen frown turned up into a predatory smirk. "Do you play poker, sir?"

This made Tyki smile. "On occasion."

Her smirk widened. "Do you drink?"

"Yes." Tyki liked where this was going, even if she was out to hustle him. "What's your name, Miss?"

"Chicago Armstrong."

Tyki looked twice at her dirty lumberjack clothes and tanned skin. "As in, the city?"

"I know, it doesn't fit. Mom was from there, that's why." She pointed to the golden-haired little girl that clung to her arm. "My sister's name is California. Guess where Dad was from."

The little girl fearfully peered at Tyki from behind her older sister. Her thick, wavy hair was tied back in a ponytail and bangs fell just above her wide, violet eyes. Her clothes were oversized boy's clothes and hung off of her like she was playing dress-up. She stared for a moment, then ducked back behind Chicago.

"She don't talk much. Come on, I'll introduce you to my poker buddies."

"Eh? Wait, Chicago. . ." Mr. Lancaster hurriedly set down his stack of papers.

"I got it, boss. I'm just entertaining our guest while you get the room ready." She threw a wink that made the foreman wince. "Just a few hands of cards and a glass of 60 proof."

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Tyki's aching head slowly pulled him out of a drunken sleep. He became vaguely aware of the cot beneath him and the heavy wool blanket over him.

"Rise and shine, city slicker!" An obnoxiously playful voice called as a set of heavy footsteps stomped by his head.

"Shut up." The Noah grumbled and rolled onto his side. He realized that every movement made his head pound. His clothes were soaking wet somehow, but he couldn't care less. He pulled the heavy blanket over his head without opening his eyes and hoped everyone with their noisy boots and bellowing voices would leave.

"Time to get up." This voice was female, and therefore, it must belong to Chicago. "Mr. Lancaster's ready to give you a tour of the company. He's planned it all out. You've got to get up to keep on schedule."

"You're joking."

"I wish I was." She said brightly. She sat down on the floor and placed a steaming tin cup in front of her. "Want a hangover drink? I made some willow bark tea. It dulls aches and pains."

He reached one hand out from beneath the blanket and felt around blindly for the cup.

"You're going to have to sit up to drink it anyway." She pointed out.

Tyki groaned and reluctantly pushed himself into sitting on the edge of the cot. His dark hair was loose and damp with a few dead leaves hung up in the tangles. His white shirt was wet and dirty along the back. He rubbed his head as if that would stop the headache.

The lumberjacks glanced up from their breakfast and grinned. "Well, who are you, stranger? Something the cat dragged in?"

"Don't." Tyki warned. His head hurt, and breaking their heads was starting to sound like fun.

Chicago pushed a steaming cup of thick green liquid in his hand. "Drink it."

It smelled like turpentine mixed with honey. He took and sip and nearly spit it out. "That's bitter!"

"Medicine often is."

Tyki threw his head back and swallowed the bitter mix the same way he downed his first shot of whiskey the night before. "Nasty! YUK!"

Chicago chuckled. "Alright, you're up. That was my goal. Go get yourself cleaned up." She got up to go, and Tyki stopped her.

"Wait, Miss Chicago," He asked the first question that formed in his foggy brain. "How did I get wet?"

"Oh, I told you to go jump in a lake, and you did. You dragged Jason in with you, for some reason, and nearly drowned him. Then you passed out on the lake shore, so that ended that." She smiled sarcastically at his surprised expression. "You don't remember a thing, do you?"

"I remember playing, and losing at poker." Tyki was holding his aching head again. "Then somebody, I think the coachman, was caught cheating."

"We didn't prove it. It was just, way too lucky. And I still came out ahead, so I don't care." She started walking off and called back over her shoulder. "Mr. Lancaster put your suitcase in his office, so you're not flat broke, yet. Your top hat and coat are gone though."

Tyki sat and tied to fish more memories out of his hangover, but he only remembered gambling in the main room. Jason was a wiry, tall man with a thick black beard. He was naturally lucky and an experienced player. The coachman, Eustace, was a cheat. He was sure of it. Two royal flushes back to back, no way. Chicago was good at guessing other people's hands, and became increasing accurate as the deck grew thinner. She was a card counter. Maybe she had a high ability to read people too. Mike and Stephen played together, and helped each other out. In this group, they were slaughtered even worse than him. Tyki shook his head ruefully, and found the resulting pain was a little duller than before. _"As much as I've played cards, I should be better at it. Maybe I should learn to cheat." _He remembered playing Allen Walker on the train. He remember Allen Walker trying to exorcize the Noah within him, a failed attempt. Tyki stopped that line of thought and staggered to his feet.

A freckled boy ran in with a terrified face. Tyki recognized him as the boy who helped with the horses the day before. "DEAD! HE'S DEAD! Oh God! There's a hole! There's a hole right here!" He pointed to the center of his forehead.

"Huh? What? What did he say?" The lumberjacks didn't follow what he was screaming about so suddenly in the middle of breakfast. They stared at him.

"Eustace is dead! He's been shot!" He said as clearly as possible.

The whole room got to their feet, and rushed to the door. Mr. Lancaster was running when he hit the porch. Tyki followed sluggishly behind, borrowing a brown jacket someone left on a chair.

Chicago ran out of her storage room with a bloody white cloth in her hand. "What happened? I heard yelling."

"Eustace has been murdered." Tyki calmly reported. _"And I wonder if it was me. I can't remember. Oh well, he was a cheater anyway." _He added mentally. Then he noticed the bloody cloth in her hand.

She followed his eyes, and tucked it inside her outer-most shirt."Cali's got a chronic illness. Last night was a bad one for her. She's doing better." Chicago set her jaw and walked out to avoid further conversation.

"_So her sister is dying?" _Tyki mused for a minute on how he would feel if Eez or Road were sick and dying. _"That must really hurt. Poor girl."_

Tyki wandered out to the tar-stained long tent that covered the coach's horses and the logging machines. A huge, talkative crowd was already pressed around the entrance, and he could hear Mr. Lancaster yelling for the men to back up.

"Patrick! Ride into town and get the sheriff." The freckled, lanky boy appeared above the crowd on the back of one of the coach's horses. He galloped down the road bareback and vanished behind the trees.

"Mike, Stephen, Jason, Chicago, and you too, Mr. Mikk, I need you to come to the front." Mr. Lancaster bellowed.

"_The card players from last night." _Tyki worked his way through the crowd to the inside of the tent and found Eustace's body at his feet. _"Serves you right, old cheat."_

The coachman's mouth was open in shock, and his eyes had been closed by someone's hand. A low caliber bullet had entered through the back of the head at a low angle and blew a hole the size of a half-dollar in his wrinkled forehead. There were no signs of a struggle, and no cuts or bruises on his hands. His winnings from the card game were untouched on the dirt where he dropped them. Blood had soaked into the ground and dried where it splattered.

"It looks to me, like he was taking his winnings to the coach when he was shot." Mr. Lancaster gazed down at Eustace with a miserable frown. "Because nothing was taken, it wasn't a robbery. And we're in the middle of the woods, so . . ." The huge foreman frowned even deeper. ". . .it's probably not an outsider."

Tyki could feel the eyes glaring at his back. He was the only stranger here, and the coachman was murdered right after he lost money to him.

"Mr. Mikk, what time did you stop playing cards last night?" Mr. Lancaster's voice didn't sound suspicious, but out of the five remaining players, the foreman asked Tyki the question.

Tyki smirked and shook his head. If this went badly, he could always kill them all. "I honestly don't remember. I drank so much last night, that most of it is a blank."

A rumbling talk ran through the crowd of men behind him, and Tyki's smile became a shade crueler.

"It was around eleven." Jason volunteered. "We did get into a fight about Eustace cheating, and he probably was."

The angry mumbles of the men grew louder.

"But he left in the end!" Jason's low voice started to sound nervous. "Then the rest of us went out onto the porch and finished off the whiskey. And that's the thing! The five of us were all together for the next hour. Then Chicago had to go off to the outhouse, but still, he would have died right after he left. Right? Because all of the stuff never made it to the coach. So, so we five have alibis!"

The voices of the men changed from anger to confusion in a heartbeat. Tyki cocked his head and took a second look at the body.

"_He was shot. I've never fired a gun. Why would I use one? Curiosity? And he was shot from behind. I love to torment. I love the fear of death in a man's eyes. It looks like Eustace never even knew what hit him." _Tyki fought hard to hold in a laugh, and ended up in a coughing fit that made his head pound.

"Are you alright, Mr. Mikk?" Lancaster asked.

"I'm fine. It seems I'm not the killer though, so who else here has a grudge against him?"

There was a lot of uncomfortable muttering and shifting of feet. The phrase "It's not that I really hated him, but . . ." came out of several mouths with several variations.

"He played and won money off of every new soul he brought into town." Chicago had been pensively staring at the corpse since she pushed her way to the front of the crowd. "More interesting. The five of us were on the porch. The rest, sleeping in a building not a hundred feet away. And Patrick, as he does when the horses are here, was sleeping in the tent.So, how did no one hear the gunshot?"

The men were silent, but many eyes drifted to Chicago.


	2. From Chicago to California

Chapter two-done. The next update will take longer. I want to draw and study more, I have another story to edit, some other random excuse. Thank you for your patience. This chapter is mainly on the sisters. The next will run through the usual suspects.

I do not own D. Gray-man. However, the lumberjack camp and all of its permanent residents are out of my head.

From Chicago to California

No one was sure what to do with Eustace's corpse. Most were afraid to come close, as if being murdered was contagious. Some suggested to bury him immediately, but that would make it much harder to investigate the murder. In the end, they drew lots for three people to stay and guard the body until the sheriff came.

Tyki actually wanted a red lot. The corpse didn't bother him at all, and he would be able to sleep off his hangover. Of course, he didn't get one.

Chicago did. She glared at the red spot like the lots were conspiring against her. "Tch. Fine. I'll fix the boiler leak on that old steam donkey. Nothing else to do in the tent."

Jason drew the second, and smiled about missing work despite the circumstances.

The third lot was draw by a heavy-set, brown-skinned logger that Tyki didn't know. He stared fearfully at Eustace's body like it could jump up at any moment. Then Jason came over and said something with a smile, and the man's face calmed.

Everyone else wandered back to finish breakfast with murder the dominant topic of conversation.

Cali stumbled off the front porch half-asleep and looking for Chicago, and Tyki immediately stopped her.

"Hello, Miss California. Are you feeling better?" Tyki kneeled in front of her, and she cringed.

She backed away while shaking her head sharply and staring at the ground.

"No? If you're not feeling well then you should back to bed." Tyki said in his best gentle voice, but the little girl just stood shaking and staring at the ground.

"Give it up, Mr. Mikk. She only talks to Chicago." Stephen called out to Tyki as he walked up. Mike was on his heels, and he sneered down at the rich man. They both were tall and heavy. They wore old overalls and thick wool shirts. Everytime he saw them together, Tyki was reminded of the Noah twins. They copied each other's gestures without realizing it.

Tyki returned Mike's glare. "I don't think the little girl should see what her sister is guarding, do you?"

Stephen shook his head and shrugged. "Suit yourself, but it's not like you're the first one to try talking to her." Mike also shook his head, but with contempt.

Blood started to trickle down beside the little girl's nose.

"Oh, Miss California! You're bleeding." Tyki reached out a hand, and the little girl bolted for the lodge.

"Huh. We told you so." Steven and Mike grinned identically as they walked past.

Tyki stood still and sullen for a minute, then walked back toward Chicago.

"Hey, Mr. Mikk." Jason waved as Tyki walked in the tent. "We're playing for cigarettes. Do you want in?"

Tyki cracked a smile as he passed. "Maybe later. Where's Miss Armstrong?"

"Oh! Wait! Mr. Mikk!" Jason called out, but Tyki had already found her.

Chicago held a huge piece of tin against a large machine that looked like a cross between a wench and a giant kettle. Her layered shirts were pulled up to the bottom of her shoulderblades to allow four metallic arms to sprout from her glowing green spine. In the center of her back was four bright green diamonds arranged in the shape of a cross.

She glanced over her shoulder at Tyki's wide open eyes and sighed.

"Wanted to leave this off the tour." Chicago said irritably. The metal hands neatly leaned the tin up against the steam donkey, and the glow in the spine stopped. The extra arms dropped off of her back, and her shirts fell back into rumpled place. The discarded arms twisted on the ground and became a cable, a crowbar and a couple pieces of scrap metal.

She put the rivets into her pants pocket and scowled at Tyki. "Don't you go talking! Those extra arms have caused me too much trouble. The guys here know, but I don't want rumors leaving the camp. By the way, you two make lousy guards!" She glared menacingly at the two loggers, and they were suddenly completely engrossed in their card game.

Tyki's eyes were still wide, though Chicago now looked exactly like the same back-woods mechanic that he met yesterday. "Your sister started bleeding." He said when he found his tongue.

She swore and marched out of the tent. "You can watch a corpse without me, right? It's not like Eustace is going anywhere." She shouted over her shoulder, and the men grunted in response without glancing up from their cards.

"_There is it. I've found the Innocence. Right down Chicago's spine." _Tyki smiled sadistically. He straightened both arms and opened his palms. _"Goodbye, Miss Armstrong." _A swarm of tease butterflies erupted from his hands and flew towards Chicago.

"What the HELL!!?" Jason tumbled to the ground as a black swarm of tease butterflies flew past his head and out of the tent. He looked up, and the strange swarm dived for Chicago. "Chicago! Look out!"

Chicago spun in the middle in the dirt road and saw the bizarre swarm rushing toward her. "Hmm. Kill it first. Figure it out later." She took a fistful of rivets out of her pocket and pressed them onto the green cross on her back. The rivets linked and twisted together into a long braid-like chain that swung from her back like a tail. Chicago lashed it into the cloud of butterflies as fast as a fan blade, and every tease she hit split and burst. The tease swarmed around her. By sheer numbers, some broke through the quick metal whip and bit her skin and chewed her clothes. "Ow! Damnit!" She stomped and swatted, but only the rivet whip seemed to kill them.

"No, Chicago!" Jason started to run to her, but Tyki caught his arm. "What are you doing?!"

"What are you doing, Jason?" Tyki shot Jason a look that froze his blood. "Her metal tail kills the butterflies, but not her swatting and stomping. You'll only get eaten if you run blindly into that swarm."

"B-but . . ." Jason stammered and stared at the suddenly frightening gentleman that held his tricep like a vice. " . . .w-we have to do something!"

"Chicago!" The porch began to fill with shocked lumberjacks, who, for the second time that morning, had their breakfast interrupted by yelling.

Tyki scowled. _"In hindsight, I should have waited."_ Then his mouth opened in a broad, sadistic grin. _"No, this is better. The tease can have them all!"_

The black swarm scattered and attacked all the lumberjacks on the porch and flew through the open door. Screams, curses and panic filled the air.

Then it was gone, all of it. Chicago, the men, the lodge, it had all instantly disappeared.

"What? What is this?" Tyki's mouth hung open as his confused minions fluttered about aimlessly above the empty dirt road.

"Hey! The evil butterflies stopped attacking!" Jason jerked his arm out of Tyki's hand, and Tyki just continued to stare at nothing. Jason ran out to the middle of the road where Chicago had been and proceeded to talk excitedly to thin air. The Noah narrowed his eyes and silently ordered to tease to disperse into the trees and wait.

"Did Miss Chicago just grow a tail?" The remaining lumberjack asked Tyki.

Tyki glared murderously back, and said, "So it would seem," through his teeth. He stalked out into the empty road.

"Hey! Watch where you're going!" A voice boomed out of thin air.

"Sorry?" Tyki said to no one. He didn't even feel the bump. He just couldn't walk further for some reason, a reason his mind couldn't quite process. _"What is this? More Innocence?"_

Then there was a noisy and excited crowd of men talking all at once around him. A tall, blonde man glared down at him and then snorted before joining a growing crowd around Chicago. He had been bitten on his broad, exposed forearms, but it was nothing deep. The lodge had returned as well.

Every nerve in Tyki's body was on alert. _"Who did that?" _He could hear the conversations around him about demon insects, and evil ghosts, and murder, but nothing about the disappearance. _"And Jason was talking to thin air. That lumberjack was there. I just couldn't see him. Someone is targeting me, or possibly, I'm effected because they targeted the tease?"_ He waited for some other attack, or clue, but nothing more happened. _"Maybe, because of the crowd? They want to hit only me?" _ Tyki decided to join the men gathered around Chicago.

"What was that? I was born and raised here, and I've never seen a man-eating butterfly before." The blonde lumberjack said loudly to anyone that would listen. "It's embarassing, but that scared me. I was afraid of butterflies!"

"Maybe they were locusts?" Jason suggested.

Chicago shook her head. "A locust isn't a butterfly." Her neck was chewed bloody where it connected to the shoulder, and her hands were red with bleeding, shallow bites. Her exposed back was whole, thanks to the metal whip that swung back and forth like an angry cat's tail. Most of the damage was taken by her thick layers of shirts and pants, which were now chewed clear through in patches.Her little sister clung desperately to her ragged shirts.

"Maybe it was an angry evil spirit. Maybe it's Eustace wanting revenge!" Someone suggested.

"I can't see Eustace becoming butterfly under any circumstances_." _Jason said immediately, and several men snickered. "It probably wouldn't hurt anything to throw a blanket over him though."

"Waste of a good blanket." Mike grumbled. Several men raised an eyebrow at the man Eustace had cheated the night before, and Mike quickly changed the subject. "What's that tail coming out of your back?" He pointed to Chicago.

"It was rivets. I made it into a whip-tail thing." She stopped until the prolonged silence pressured her into explaining further. "Fine. For those of you who don't already know, I have a special ability to shape metal and machines into anything I want. Then I control it as an extension of my body by attaching it to the green marks on my back."

Mike nodded, but to most of the men, it was old news.

"You're a witch!" Mike said.

"If I was a witch, then you'd be a toad!" She whipped the ground for emphasis.

"Could you modify a gun to fire without a noise?" Mike asked with one eye on the lashing metal tail.

"I could." Chicago admitted and leveled a dangerous stare at the large man. "But I didn't."

The frightened crowd started to mutter. Many had thought of this as soon as the silent shot question was posed. Of course, it was Chicago herself that brought it up, but who else could make a silent gun?

Tyki eavesdropped as the fearful rumors spread through the crowd. A fair number were calling Chicago a witch and assigning the butterflies to her as well, even though she was most injured. _"Hmm. It looks like Chicago is the prime suspect now. She may even be killed if this crowd becomes a mob. I suppose that would save me some effort, but it doesn't tell me who the other Innocence user is." _Then an uncomfortable thought crossed his mind. _"How do I fight someone that I can't see or hear? I can manipulate any object in this world, but I have to know that it exists first."_

"My alibi is the same as yours. I was with you when the murder happened." Chicago and Mike continued arguing while Tyki sorted out the mess he was in.

"Without a gunshot, how do we know exactly when he died?" Mike countered.

California had been shaking increasingly as the circle of large men slowly crept in on her sister. She began to scream.

"EEEEEEEEEEEEE!" The little girl's scream was as high-pitched and loud as a train whistle.

"Oh, my head!" Tyki put his hands tightly over his ears. The pain-killer Chicago gave him for his headache was instantly defeated. He thought his ears would bleed. A glance around showed him that all the men were holding their ears and grinding their teeth.

"Cali! Cali, Stop it! They're not taking me anywhere! I'm not leaving you!" Chicago screamed above the noise, and the child closed her mouth into a doubtful frown.

The men sighed with relief, and dropped their hands from their ears.

"First noise I've ever heard her make, and my ears are ringing." Stephen groaned. Stephen and Mike folded their arms simultaneously and glared at Chicago.

"Listen to me Cali. I won't leave you alone. Not for any reason. O.K.? You have nothing to be afraid of." Chicago kneeled and gently pulled her little sister into the arms. Then she glared over Cali's shoulder at the loggers surrounding them. "And as for you lot." She lashed the ground with her metal tail and mud splattered the front row of the crowd, "You should know me better. I make my life with my own hands. I want nothing of Eustace, and I took nothing from him. But if any of you want to go a round with me, I'll beat sense into your thick skulls!"

She stood with Cali cradled in her arms and walked back into the lodge.

The men gave the human whip and the human siren a wide berth.

"Blasted freak. That outburst proves nothing!" Mike said, and Stephen nodded in agreement. Many of the men agreed and started keeping their distance from the strange woman.

However, Tyki immediately followed the sisters into the lodge. Cross Marian may control two different Innocences, but that was astronomically rare. Since Chicago's Innocence had nothing to do with blocking sound, vanishing, or possibly, distorting a person's senses, she was the least likely to be Eustace's killer in his mind. Not that Tyki really cared about Eustace's murder, he just wanted to know who had stopped his attack. _"Not only that, but if this man can make himself invisible, he might be able to kill me before I even know he's there." _Tyki thought briefly of calling for Road to help him, but he didn't want to share. Underneath his fear, a familiar thrill of death was heating his blood._ "I can still handle this. I just need to destroy both Innocence users. Besides, this is exciting. It feels like anything could happen."_

A broad smile stretched to almost his ears. _"I might even die."_

"Following for a reason?" Chicago stopped short in the hall between the sisters' room and Mr. Lancaster's office. She didn't turn to look at Tyki. She swung the metal tail in Tyki's general direction and took a chunk out of a chair.

"Witch hunts make you irritable, I see." His smile was both amiable and dark.

She sighed and turned around. "What is it, Mr. Mikk? As you can see, I have a sick little girl to take care of."

"I wanted to say that Mike's comments were out of line. I don't believe you're the murderer."

"Thank you. I don't believe that I am either." Then she turned to leave.

"_Stubborn girl," _thought Tyki. "Wait! Mrs. Armstrong! Before the silent gunshot was brought up, I felt as though I was the primary suspect. Since no one knows me, I'm still probably under suspicion. I think we should put our heads together on who the real murderer might be."

"Hmm. Well, to be honest, we're likely to skip town as soon as we can. These witch hunts don't end well. It's a shame. We'd been here for a while now. I must admit, I was starting to feel . . . attached to this place. I wonder if Mr. Lancaster can settle the men down?" Chicago said as she walked down the hall. She turned the handle to their room with her arm still under California's legs. "I suppose it couldn't hurt to talk. Come in. We'll talk while I treat Cali, and me."

"_Got her."_ Tyki thought and smiled pleasantly. "Where is Mr. Lancaster? Did he go to the sheriff, too?"

"No, he's at the bank. Something is wrong with one of the loans." She sat Cali down on the bed, and began rummaging though a small suitcase of herbs, medical supplies and clean clothes.

Two other suitcases were leaned up against the wall, and an empty clothesline was strung through the center of the room. Two cots were set up, covered in neatly folded blankets. An old copper kettle with two copper cups sat next to a tin washbasin. The rest of the room was clean and bare.

"_As unfeminine as an army barrack." _Tyki wasn't expecting pink ruffles or stuffed animals out of Chicago, but this room had the charm of a prison.

"You learn to hate unnecessary possessions when you have to carry them for long distances." Chicago said as she guessed Tyki's thoughts from his expression. He winced at her accuracy, and she laughed under her breath. "You've got to do something about your poker face, or you'll be losing money for the rest of your life."

Tyki was about to bring up card counting, but his mind suddenly blanked.

Chicago had brushed back Cali's golden bangs to dab rubbing alcohol on the row of bloody stigmata that ran just below her hairline. The little girl's eyes teared up at the sting, but she sat obediently still.

"That can't be right!" Tyki muttered and looked from the little girl's bleeding crosses to her sister's metal tail. "God has a sick sense of humor."

"What do you mean by that?" Chicago asked without turning around.

"Oh, it's . . . such a strange and terrible illness for a little girl." Tyki said quickly.

Chicago glared at him suspiciously. "Yes. I've taken her to doctors, but they can't identify this disease."

"So . . ." Tyki looked into Cali's wide, shy eyes, and saw fear, but no hatred. ". . . You don't know what is wrong with her, then?"

"No, I don't. What about you? I'll take guesses at this point." Chicago glared at him like a cop at an interrogation. "What do you think it is, Mr. Mikk?"

"Yes, Well, I'm not an expert or anything, but . . ." He looked again at the bleeding scars and felt a pang of loss. Cali hadn't awoken yet, but the Noah was there, growing. Soon, she wouldn't belong to the human world. "It looks like stigmata. The sort that saints would get in the bible."

"Pfft! That's your guess? She's a nice girl, but I don't think she's one of God's angels."

"Not angels." Tyki said a bit too sharply. "More like a possession. Maybe even a demon." Tyki stared pensively at the floor. He remembered waking one morning to a trickle of blood running down his face in the mirror. He pulled back his bangs and there were these strange bleeding marks.

"Have you had this disease, Mr. Mikk?" Chicago pointed at Tyki's hand on his forehead. He had pushed it under his tangled bangs without thinking.

"Yes, I mean, NO!" He kicked himself, but it was too late now. "A long time ago. The bleeding will stop on its own. Just keep the wounds clean and . . . wait for it to run its course."

Chicago's mouth hung open for a second. Then she ran up to him. "Do You Mean That!? DO YOU REALLY MEAN THAT!?"

Tyki looked down into her desperate face and smiled like a gentleman. He pulled back his own dark bangs, and let the old stigmata show. "You see? They don't bleed anymore."

Chicago smiled with pure joy. It was like a star was released from a small, dark prison. Then she fell to her knees and wept loudly with a smile on her face.

There were few times since becoming a Noah that Tyki wanted to hold someone. Humans could be fun, but in the end, were diseased and repulsive. He was a tool and sacrifice to destroy a defiled world. He wanted to see the end of everything; he dreamed of it. But in this doting sister, he saw the people that he had left behind in his normal, human-world life. He knelt down across from Chicago, and watched the tears of relief flow down her cheeks. _"I wonder if they missed me? Did people cry, when I never came home?" _He reached out experimentally, and wiped the tears off of Chicago's cheek.

Then Cali grabbed Chicago's waist in a tight hug, and stared at Tyki with burning jealousy.

Tyki jerked back his hand as a new thought crossed his mind. _"Is it possible for a Noah to have their powers before they're fully awakened? Did she stop my attack on Chicago?"_


	3. The Set Up

Writing very slowly, as usual. I apologize for the wait. Thanks to HeartOfAshes and darkycloud for reviewing. (I don't respond all the time, but I do like attention.) And thanks to The Light's Refrain for editing. That said-

I don't own D. Grayman. I do own all the O.C.s running around the lumberjack camp. (They multiple like rabbits.)

The Set Up

Miss California sat cross-legged on the floor with her forehead neatly bandaged. Like a loyal guard dog, she sat directly between Tyki, who leaned up against the door, and her sister, who sat on the nearest cot. The little girl glared menacingly at the tall man as if a stare alone would force him out the door.

If Tyki didn't know Cali was a Noah, he would have found this funny. However, he didn't like having one of his own clan staring at him like he was their next kill. He knew full well the hunger for death and revenge that constantly rumbled in the minds of Noahs. _"I wonder if she knows that the tease belong to me? Maybe she's simply possessive of her sister."_

Tyki glanced at Chicago who had just patched her bleeding neck. She stopped and looked at Tyki as if debating something. "Hmm, I doubt you care, but I'm going to take my shirt off now. Please leave the room."

California nodded and pointed at the door.

"Of course." Tyki open the door, and Jason fell in on his face.

"Oh, HI!" Jason waved from the floor. "The rest of the men have started working, so I came to get you." Jason propped himself up on his elbows as if he meant to lay on the floor all along. "So . . . what were you guys doing?"

"Couldn't you hear us well enough through the door?" Chicago asked sarcastically.

"Um . . . No, not really. I came a bit late it seems. I heard Chicago crying, and I've never heard that before. So leaned up against the door to listen, but she said something about being happy. Then I was confused. So, Mr. Mikk, what did you do to make Chicago cry? And why are you in the girls' room?"

"I told her some good news. That's all." Tyki said curtly.

"Uh-huh." Jason responded with a blank stare. "Well, work's started. Are you two going, or are finally going to bury that body you left laying out?" The young logger laughed at his own joke and hopped to his feet. "I'm kidding! I'm kidding! I know Chicago better than that, right?" He smiled nervously.

Chicago did crack a smile. "If you start any weird rumors, as you have before, I'll bury you." Then she turned back to Tyki. "Could you and Jason please wait out in the equipment tent? If the men have cleared out, I want a second look at the body."

Jason showed no sign of moving on his own, so Tyki dragged him out by his shirt collar.

"Hey! I can walk without you dragging me!"

"Then walk, Jason." Tyki released Jason's shirt and started rummaging in his jacket pockets for his cigarettes. Then he realized that it wasn't his jacket. _"Maybe it would be simpler to kill them all, and take Cali back. Only, I probably wouldn't be able to find her if she can become invisible. And Cali would always hate me. I wonder if that matters? Would she try to kill me as a fully awakened Noah? Probably, she doesn't like me already."_

Jason held up a cigarette and grinned. "Just this one, O.K.? Tobacco is like money around here."

Jason lit the cigarette, and Tyki felt a wave of tension leave him with the first drag. "Thanks. I owe you." They started to walk side-by-side.

"Not a problem." Jason waved it off with a grin. "It isn't everyday you get suspected of murder. And it's someone you barely know too. Seriously, how petty would you have to be to kill over a card game?"

Tyki winced, but Jason prattled on without noticing.

"Those guys just aren't thinking. They even called Chicago a witch! Where'd that nonsense come from?" Jason strolled out onto the road.

"Her supernatural powers and her habit of mixing strange herbs," Tyki brought up as he stepped off the porch.

"Nah, that's different. They just don't know how to handle a strong woman." Jason folded his arms and nodded resolutely.

Tyki raised an eyebrow. "I get it now. Do you like strong women, Jason?"

Jason tripped over his feet, and just caught himself from falling in the mud. "Well, I don't know. The weak, whiny girls are kind of annoying." He looked over at Tyki and forced a laugh that a five-year-old could see through.

Tyki just gave him a smug look. _"Jason was eavesdropping because he was jealous."_

"Well, I suppose I've always favored blondes." Jason admitted. A blush spread over his cheeks and into his ears.

"I see. I like blondes myself, actually." Tyki smirked at the worried look Jason shot him. "However, I'm not interested in the human logging machine. I'm just working with her." He took a long drag on his cigarette.

"_Until her sister's Noah awakens. Then I'll kill her."_ Tyki thought.

"Oh, That's good! I don't want to compete with money." Then Jason waved to the logger on guard duty and ran on ahead. "Hey, Tom! Did Eustace do any jumping jacks while I was gone?!"

"Money's why I worried him?" Tyki's eye twitched. "Idiot."

Tom smiled to see Jason again. "I know you're kidding, but I swear, I think he moves a little sometimes."

"He does!" Jason said indignantly. "Well, we can't have that. The dead are supposed to be still." He turned and pointed an accusing finger at Eustace's bloody body. "You there! Have you been moving around?! Bad corpse!" Then Jason started kicking Eustace's ribcage.

Tom let out a horrified squeak. "W-w-what are you doing!" He cringed like Eustace might jump up and start fighting back.

"Whoa." Tyki froze and stared as Jason kicked the body over and over again. Then an evil smile stretched across his face. _"No wonder I get along with Jason so well."_

"JASON!" Chicago marched across the road like an angry drill Sergeant. "You leave the evidence alone!" Cali ran along behind her with one hand gripping Chicago's metal tail.

"_How can a Noah touch that and not be enraged?"_ Tyki watched the quiet child hang onto the tail-shaped Innocence. Cali stuck her tongue out at him as they passed.

"Jason, did you do anything else besides break these ribs?"

"Nope. That was it." Jason answered brightly.

Chicago kneeled down at Eustace's feet and studied the body as if she was memorizing every detail. Meanwhile, Cali tugged on her metal tail. The little girl was making a game of trying to pull it off. Chicago started to lazily flip the tail-whip in circles to make it a more interesting toy for her little sister to catch.

Tyki just shook his head in amazement. _"Clueless. Both of them." _ He idly looked over the body because he was expected to, and then he actually noticed something. The blood pooled beneath Eustace, but the ground was splashed with it four feet away. It was also splashed against the tent wall and across a stack of hay. The scattered winnings, money, Tyki's coat and hat, and an IOU from Stephen were red spotted exactly to match the splashes on the ground. "As if they were already on the ground when the blood was . . . thrown." He looked to Chicago, and she nodded smugly in agreement.

"Sloppy of him, wasn't it?" Chicago stood and folded her arms with a smirk on her lips. "The blood on the ground, it's more than could come from Eustace's body alone. The blood splatters, they remind me splashed paint."

"Did you notice how evenly spread his winnings are? Or that the cards were simply scattered on top on him?" Tyki shared a smile with Chicago.

"Someone's trying to frame you, Mr. Mikk. They even planned for your arrival, it seems."

"Maybe." Tyki took one last puff on his cigarette butt before grinding it into the mud. "But he'll set you up too, if it proves easier."

"Huh? What are you talking about? Too much blood?" Jason looked at the blood splatters and cocked his head. "Yeah, O.K. Maybe that splatter is wrong for a shot to the head." He stared like he was trying to recall an old memory.

Chicago focused her sullen gaze on Tom, who fidgeted his hands miserably. "Tom, we're looking for a container, probably a bucket of some kind. Go down by the chicken coop and see if there's blood on any of the buckets and water dishes. Check the cooking pots in the lodge while you're at it."

Tom eagerly nodded in agreement and ran out of the tent. He was obviously happy to go anywhere else.

"Jason, go on ahead to the job site. Eustace was probably killed up there. Find where exactly."

Jason nodded with a slightly puzzled expression.

"Look for blood or anything weird." Chicago rephrased.

"Yeah, I can do that." Jason looked from Chicago to Tyki as if he didn't want to leave the two of them alone. In the end he waved goodbye, and called out, "See you soon," just before he turned out of the tent.

Chicago leveled a suspicious glare at Tyki. "What are you hiding? No-" She held up her hand. "Let me rephrase that. Why don't you suspect me? You decided immediately that I wasn't the killer, but you don't know me. The evidence, and most of the men here, say that I killed him. What do you know that eliminates me as a suspect?"

Tyki put on his gentleman's smile. "A hard-working lady like you-"

"Don't." Chicago cut him off. "Jason would trust me based on emotion, but you're not Jason. What's the real reason?"

Tyki smirked. "So you know about Jason as well." The dark-eyed man looked at the sullen blonde like he was trying to decide how much to bet on a horse. _"How long until I kill her? Two days?" _He glanced over at Cali who was stared into Eustace's dead eyes with a fascinated expression. _"Maybe less than two days. It doesn't matter, she's be dead soon enough." _He dropped his gentleman's face. "Those green diamonds on your back, they're called Innocence. I've traveled a lot with my family business, and you're not the first I've seen with this . . ." He almost said 'sickness'. ". . . with this unusual gift from God. I'm not saying Innocence users are perfect. They can lie and cheat. However, it's unlikely that someone chosen by Innocence killed a man over cheating, and I can't think of any other motive for you to kill Eustace." He shrugged carelessly.

Chicago stared at him skeptically for a moment. "All right, I'll take that. You seem to be into this God thing. To be honest, I thought that you might be the murderer, and that's how you knew it wasn't me. You could still do it with inside help, but that's unlikely. Your timely arrival makes you more of a scapegoat than anything else. So then, you cross me off of your suspect list, and I'll cross you off of mine."

"Deal." Tyki was starting to like this detective game, full of blood and secrets. "So, am I the only one in camp not on your suspect list then? What about your little sister? Perhaps she's a bloodthirsty monster in disguise." He said it playfully, but he glanced back at Cali to see her reaction.

The little girl continued to stared into Eustace's dead eyes as if she didn't even hear him.

"Hmph. If you're not serious, then I'll figure it out alone." Chicago turned to leave.

"Don't be like that, Miss Armstrong." Tyki put his hand on her shoulder, and she glared back at him. "Seriously, Jason? You got rid of him so we could talk about suspects?"

Chicago's sullen frown grew a bit deeper. "Yes. Jason's got personality, but there is a very dark, violent streak in him. He couldn't plan a murder, but he might follow someone else's plan for money. Eustace was hated by his own family. They were ashamed of him, and they have a lot of money."

"His own family hated him? I could almost pity the old cheat for that."

Chicago brushed off his hand and turned to face Tyki again. "He's not the only one. Stephen has money problems. I think, Mr. Lancaster does as well, though I haven't seen the books for this place. If you get your hands on the finance papers, bring them to me. Leroy might kill for money, too."

"Leroy?"

"Big man, even for a lumberjack. Wears the world's stupidest hat. I'll point him out to you." Chicago sighed. "Of course, this is just the list for motives-better-than-he-steals-from-me. That would include everyone. If I wasn't a prime suspect, I would write it off as community service. Not my business who killed Eustace."

Tyki smirked. "What a callus thing for a favorite of God to say."

"You and God. We don't even go to church." She paused to stretch her arms until her shoulders popped. "Also, Mitch, the second in command here. He'd kill just to keep order."

Tyki gaze her a puzzled look.

"You're wearing his jacket, by the way. If I were you, I'd put it back in the lodge."

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

To Tyki's surprise, Tom returned. The timid, superstitious man was shaking so bad when he ran off that Tyki thought he'd be in the next town by now. He mumbled something about finding nothing suspicious, and sat quietly in a corner of the tent with his wide eyes staring over his folded hands. He watched Tyki and Chicago, not Eustace.

Chicago insisted on going to work, so Tyki was left with Tom on guard duty. The prime suspect was left to guard the evidence. He laughed openly at that, and Chicago flipped him off. Cali imitated her sister and flipped him off as well.

"That's not ladylike." Tyki chided Cali. He glanced up at her scowling sister and added, "I'm not expecting ladylike from you."

Chicago cracked a sarcastic smile. "Sticking with this personality for a while?" She took her little sister's hand and led her out of the tent. Tyki could hear Chicago's voice fading into the woods. He couldn't make out the words, but by the tone, Cali was being scolded.

Tyki folded Mitch's brown jacket on the dirt for a pillow. He stretched out and was almost asleep when Mitch stormed in, determined to prove how important he was.

The first thing the slim man did was snatch up his jacket and rub at the dirt as if it would burn holes through the leather. Tyki could see his dark eyes bulge and his hands shake with rage looking at the dirt, as if it was unholy. Mitch pressed his eyes closed and obviously forced himself to swallow the rage. He handed over a stack of papers and began a long speech about good families and money.

Fortunately for Mitch, he wasn't the first wannabe from a somewhat-rich family that Tyki had to humor. It was almost like being back at the family mansion and playing politics with the rich of lesser families. Only, he wasn't putting in the same amount of effort for the Hobsons of Hobsville. Tyki ignored most of what Mitch said.

"These worthless losers. It's a good thing their backs are strong because their brains are weak. We pay them. We feed and shelter them, and all I hear is 'more money' or 'I'm cold' or 'I'm sick'. Mr. Lancaster spoils them. A kitchen, chickens, oil lamps, it's ridiculous the garbage he buys. He has no head for numbers. I should be running this camp! Achoo!" The wiry, dark-haired man wiped his nose on his long-sleeved white shirt. His face was feminine with thick glasses and perpetually angry eyes. "I'm smarter and better educated than that self-made logger! I've got too much class to be his assistant! I'm a Hobson, for God's sake! Well, not a real Hobson, but they took me because I'm smart! Because they could USE ME! I CAN DO BETTER THAN THIS!!"

Tyki glanced at the raving man when he mentioned his family using him. Then the brief feeling of empathy passed, and he returned to reading the hand-written finance records that Mitch had given him.

"The Hobsons own the nearest town, and the bank, the police, all transport and most of the land! And I'm one of them. . ."

"That's nice." Tyki said in a monotone. _"That can't be right."_ Tyki flipped back to compare the sales from one month to the next. _"Too much change in wood prices. The food costs are just as bad, unless Lancaster hunts for his food. I guess that's possible out here._" He sighed and sloppily restacked the papers. He had never been to school, but his mother had taught him basic math and percentages regarding money. He knew the books were fixed, but he couldn't work out how. "I need to borrow these." Tyki shot Mitch a look that was pleasant and somehow threatening at the same time.

Mitch shut up and turned a shade paler.

"_So he's in on rigging the books at least."_ Tyki thought. _"What a terrible poker face. I wonder if I can get him into a game?" _His eyes trailed down the Eustace's corpse on the ground. _"Old cheat, I'm sick of looking at you."_

"Tom, you and Mitch watch this." Tyki pointed to Eustace's body like it was unclaimed baggage. "I'm going to the logging site. I did come here to observe work after all."

Tyki made a mental note that neither tried to stop him. _"They're going to let a city gentleman wander into the woods without any direction? I'm fine with the tease spread across the forest, but do they want me to get lost?" _He thought about that a bit more, and a bitter smile spread across his face. _"Actually, since I'm a prime suspect for murder, and an investigator from the main lender. It's in everyone's best interest if I get lost. They don't have to be in on the murder to want that. Everyone here would be better off without me. Even more than they know." _The smile stretched even further up his cheeks. A black butterfly landed lightly on his shoulder. "Chicago." He said to it, and it obediently flew ahead and turned slightly to the north.

Tyki followed the tease blindly through the deep woods with his mind filled with murder. He had killed the entire crew by sinking them into the ground in his imagination. Then he looked up noticed that there were many black butterflies swarming ahead on a grove of thick pines.

"Eh? What are you doing? You're supposed to take me to Chicago." He pushed his way through the low, thick branches and saw the tease swarming on the corpse of an enormous black man. The tease had been eating on his flesh, but there was a deep gash across his neck that cut both arteries. There was almost no blood on the mat of pine needles beneath his at least 300-pound body.

"_And that's where the blood is from. Was he killed just for that?" _Tyki cocked his head and motioned for the tease to move aside. The man's clothes were ragged, brown canvas pants and a thick wool shirt. His boots needed repair and his massive hand still clutched an faded white hat with a floppy brim. On one side of the rim hung old wine corks on strings and on the other side of the rim was an assortment of fishing lures. The hat was painted with red symbols and names that belonged to an amateur baseball league all the way back in Missouri. "The world's stupidest hat?" Tyki repeated what Chicago had said earlier. "So then, this must be Leroy."


End file.
